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The Art of Online Business

[Formerly The Art of Paid Traffic] Are you an online expert working toward the 6 or 7-figure mark in your business? Welcome to your one-stop-shop for practical tips, mindsets, actionable strategies, detailed case studies and everything else you need to build an online business and a life that lights you up. Whether you’re ready to increase your profit through Facebook and Instagram ads or you’re looking to find and focus on the CEO activities that’ll make the most meaningful difference in your business — you’re in the right place. Host Rick Mulready is an online business coach, ads expert and lifestyle entrepreneur sharing his path to building a million dollar business as an online expert and course creator. His specialty? Breaking complex overwhelm-inducing ideas and strategies into bite sized easy to understand pieces. His not-so-secret superpower? Teaching simplified Facebook and Instagram ad strategies you can use to create a foundation for more freedom, leads, and sales in your business. Ready for more income AND impact? Discover why The Art of Online Business has over 4.5 million downloads from ambitious online experts committed to creating profitable and purposeful businesses!
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Now displaying: December, 2020
Dec 30, 2020

I am back with another quick tip episode.  These episodes have tips or strategies you can use to help you grow your online business so you can have a bigger impact and increase your revenue in the process. 

Congratulations my friend, you did it. You made it to the end of 2020. I always love getting into a new year because it brings so much new possibility, and just like many of you, I am super excited to turn the calendar on 2020. 

Unfortunately, in true 2020 fashion, I do have some slightly bad news to share today. This news has to do with Apple’s iOS 14 updates and how they are going to affect your ads. 

In this quick tip, I want to share with you what's going on here and what Facebook is recommending that we do about it.

There are quite a few changes that we’re going through today, so don’t miss it. 

Come join me in this episode to hopefully close the door on the woes of 2020. 

Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

How Apple's Changes May Significantly Limit Your Marketing Efforts 

Use Facebook Pixel to Reach Devices on iOS 14 

How Apple's iOS 14 Release May Affect Your Ads 

 

Full show notes are available at www.rickmulready.com/455 

Dec 23, 2020

How do you like the sound of maximizing your profit in 2021? Then you're going to want to stick around for this episode.  

Today I'm joined by my CPA, Mel Abraham, and he's going to share with you the secret to maximizing your profit in your business in the coming year.

Mel is a CPA by education but an entrepreneur by exhilaration, and author of the #1 Bestseller, The Entrepreneur's Solution: The Modern Millionaire's Path to More Profit, Fans & Freedom. He's the founder of Thoughtpreneur™ Academy & Business Breakthrough Academy, where he helps entrepreneurs bring their businesses to the world and build the lifestyle that they want.

Mel is sharing all kinds of crazy helpful advice, but I really want you to pay close attention to the conversation about setting your financial goals because Mel has a slightly different take on it that I think is really great.

On Today's Show You'll Learn: 

  • How to increase your profit before the end of 2020
  • Tax deduction ideas for 2020
  • How to set yourself up for success from a business finance perspective
  • How your lifestyle affects your business decisions
  • How to evaluate the ROI of your business expenses
  • That you can still make an offer before the end of the year
  • Why people are more likely to implement off of paid content than free content 
  • How to stop judging how well you're doing based on your bank account balance
  • The importance of being intentional about the financial choices you make 
  • Why you should have a money conversation with your spouse 

It's not too late to make some big money moves in 2020. The year isn't over yet.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode.  I know I took lots of notes and I'm super grateful that Mel came to spend some time with us. 

If you haven't jumped into my new group yet, I want to invite you into my new Optimized CEO Community Facebook group. This is a free Facebook group exclusively for online course creators, maybe you have a membership program, or you're an online coach, and you want to optimize your business towards six or seven figures. If that sounds like you, you need to be inside this community.   You can join us at www.rickmulready.com/group

Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Follow Mel on Facebook

Follow @melabraham9 on Instagram

Subscribe to Mel on YouTube 

Follow @MelHAb on Twitter

Connect with Mel on LinkedIn

Get The Debt Breakthrough Calculator: www.melabraham.com/nge

 

Full show notes available at www.rickmulready.com/454 

Dec 21, 2020

Who’s ready to say goodbye to 2020? Yeah. I think a lot of us are. 

But I do love this time of year because we get to look back on the crazy year that it's been, and from a business perspective, we get to look at what worked, what didn't work, where all the unpredictability came into the business, and how we adapted or didn't adapt to it. 

We also get to look at the lessons that we learned. What are we going to do more of next year? What are we going to do less of next year? What are we going to try differently?

In this episode, I will share with you what I learned in my business in 2020. 

I also want to set some predictions for the online space in 2021, and you can use these predictions to prepare for your best year yet. 

On Today’s Show You’ll Learn: 

  • The massive opportunity that podcasting presents 
  • Changes that you need to embrace in 2021
  • The power of focused branding
  • The difference between a building year and a growth year
  • Why you cannot know enough about your target audience 
  • The value of segmentation 
  • How to learn from every experience 
  • The value of personal connection
  • Why you should be upfront and authentic with your audience 
  • How excellent customer service will set you apart from other businesses 
  • Why you should include short-form video and mobile content in your marketing 
  • How to make the most of your ads in 2021 

It’s been a big year in so many ways, and no one knows what 2021 has in store for us, but I do know that we can learn from the last year and use those lessons to prepare and optimize our businesses as we move into 2021. 

 I want to say thanks to each and every one of you for joining me on the podcast this year, here’s to making next year even better!  

Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

www.rickmulready.com/offer-to-optimized

www.rickmulready.com/accelerator 

www.rickmulready.com/group 

Episode 434: Simple Hacks for Writing Copy that Converts, with Brittany McBean

www.facebook.com/business/m/mobile-studio  

 

Full show notes available at www.rickmulready.com/453 

Dec 18, 2020

I am back with another quick tip episode.  These episodes have tips or strategies you can use to help you grow your online business so you can have a bigger impact and increase your revenue in the process. 

In this episode, I want to share with you how I look at scaling Facebook and Instagram ads. 

Some of the things that I’m sharing are new or different approaches that have been working for us, but a lot of them have been the same for a long time. 

The thing is, not a lot of people want to do the work. They just want to throw money at it and hope it works. But if you want to scale, it’s not that simple. That is what’s going to separate the people who are going to be successful with their ads from the people who are not.

So today I want to break down how I look at, and how I recommend that you look at, scaling your Facebook and Instagram ads in 2021.

If you haven’t already joined us inside the free Optimized CEO Community Facebook group, I want to invite you to come on over. We have so much fun in there, it’s an amazing community, and you’ll find a lot of great content to help you as you optimize your business. Head to www.rickmulready.com/group to join!

Full show notes are available at www.rickmulready.com/452 

Dec 16, 2020

Do you have your legal systems in order? Is it the part of your business that you put off? I totally get it. 

Today we’re diving into the legal side of running an online business, with lawyer and Accelerator member Jim Hart. 

I asked him to join me because it’s been a while since we talked about anything legal here on the podcast. I know it can be boring, but it is SO important, and if there’s anyone who can teach us about the law without making it boring, it’s Jim. 

Jim is the founder of Hawthorn Law. He is an Online Business Lawyer, Entrepreneur, YouTuber, and diehard Cleveland sports fan who has escaped the cold of Ohio to live under the Blue Skies of North Carolina.  Jim is a devoted husband and father of three young kids who loves to camp, hike, run, and make YouTube videos that help online entrepreneurs get their legal house in order so that they can focus on building amazing businesses.

Jim is super approachable, super smart, and I’m so excited to sit down with him for this episode. 

On Today’s Show You’ll Learn: 

  • The biggest legal mistakes that online entrepreneurs are making
  • Things that will attract the attention of the FTC
  • How you should be setting up your business from a legal standpoint
  • Two things that your website absolutely needs to have
  • Where you should start when it comes to protecting yourself legally
  • What you need to do to protect yourself when it comes to testimonials
  • The difference between copyright and trademark
  • When you might want to consider copyrighting something 
  • What you can do when someone is pirating your course
  • What the Lock It Down system is all about

Trust me, getting the legal stuff sorted out is more than worth it. Not only will you be protected if anything were ever to happen, but you’ll also have peace of mind knowing that everything in your business is set up as it should be. Definitely take time to tune in to this special episode! 

Have you taken the Business Blindspot Quiz? It’s 11 questions that are going to help you uncover the blind spots in your business. Once you’ve identified them, you will receive action steps for overcoming and fixing those blind spots so that you can regain momentum and traction to reach your goals. If you want to find out what your blind spots are, go to www.rickmulready.com/quiz.  

 

Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Free Legal Audit: www.hawthornlaw.net/rick 

Jim’s Flagship Course: https://www.hawthornlaw.net/toolkit 

Building an Online Business - Facebook Group 

www.youtube.com/hawthornlaw

www.hawthornlaw.net 

 

Full show notes available at www.rickmulready.com/451 

Dec 11, 2020

I am back with another quick tip episode. These episodes have tips or strategies you can use to help you grow your online business so you can have a bigger impact and increase your revenue in the process. 

Do you have a high ticket offer that you’d like to see even better results from? 

Today I want to share some of the takeaways from a recent coaching session.  This session was with one of our newest Accelerator group coaching members who has a high ticket offer.   We talked about all kinds of things, but I specifically want to talk about how we strategized optimizing his webinar funnel. 

So today we’re breaking down how to understand your numbers and how to optimize them. 

If you have an offer that you think could be performing better than it already is, be sure to tune in. 

When you’re finished with this episode, I want you to take what you’ve learned today, look at your numbers, and make sure that you understand A) what they are and B) how to optimize them. 

If you’d like my help as you do this for your business, then I want to invite you to apply for my Accelerator group coaching program. To find out whether you’re a good fit, go to www.rickmulready.com/accelerator to find out more.

Full show notes are available at www.rickmulready.com/450 

Dec 9, 2020

For those of us who run live events, one of the big challenges of 2020 has been what to do. Do you cancel them? Do you take them virtual? What’s the best solution?

Today’s guest, Hallie Sherman, planned a live event for this July that she ultimately decided to take virtual.   And guess what?!  It ended up being a HUGE success!

Today we're going to break down, why it was such a big success; what went into it; and why, for the foreseeable future, she's going to stick with virtual events.

Hallie Sherman is a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) and author behind Speech Time Fun and the SLP Coffee Talk podcast. She creates digital resources which she sells on Teachers Pay Teachers and provides professional development through her Speech Time Fun PD courses and virtual live event, The Speech Retreat Recharge. 

Through all of her products and offerings she helps school SLPs plan with ease and confidence and avoid burnout. She helps remind SLPs that they can plan motivating and engaging sessions without using elaborate plans or materials. When she isn’t working on her business, she continues to work full time in the public schools and runs around with her 6-year-old and 2-year-old daughters.

On Today’s Show You’ll Learn: 

  • How to recreate the excitement and energy of a live event for a virtual event 
  • How to manage working full-time, running an online business, and being a mom
  • Why Hallie decided to take her live event virtual instead of cancelling 
  • What fears you have to overcome to plan a virtual event
  • How to handle to the transition from live to virtual 
  • What goes into a successful virtual event 
  • The marketing materials that were used to create a hype
  • Why virtual events might be even better than live events
  • How to get over 1,000 attendees 
  • The value of feedback and testimonials 
  • The power of an efficient team

The rise of virtual events has definitely been a really cool thing to come out of 2020. I know that we’ll be seeing a lot more of them, even when in-person events are possible again.   I hope this episode gives you ideas for how to prepare for this change in the future. 

Are you an online course creator, coach, or you've got a membership program? Are you looking to optimize your business to the next level and you're making at least $5,000 a month in revenue?  If you’re overwhelmed and unsure what to do to take your business to the next level and you want my help to accomplish that, then my Accelerator program would be a great fit for you.  

It’s application only. So to apply or learn more, go to www.rickmulready.com/accelerator

 

Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

www.speechtimefun.com

www.shopspeechtimefun.com

www.speechretreat.com

www.instagram.com/speechtimefun

 

Full show notes available at www.rickmulready.com/449 

Dec 4, 2020

I am back with another quick tip episode.  These episodes have tips or strategies you can use to help you grow your online business so you can have a bigger impact and increase your revenue in the process. 

Have you ever hired someone for your team that didn't work out?

If you're nodding your head right now, you are very likely afraid to hire again because you don’t want to get burned a second time. I get it. I’ve been there. 

But if you want to truly have a bigger impact with your business, generate more income, and create freedom in your schedule, you cannot scale your business alone. You need help. 

So today I want to get into the mindset around hiring, particularly reframing it for those of you who have been burned before. 

Remember, there is no failure. You can always learn from a situation that didn’t go the way you hoped. If you hired someone and it didn't work out, how can you use that experience to improve your next hire? Don’t let it stop you from ever hiring again. 

Let’s talk it through together in this episode. 

Have you taken the Business Blindspot Quiz? It’s 11 questions that are going to help you uncover the blind spots in your business. Once you’ve identified them, you will receive action steps for overcoming and fixing those blind spots so that you can regain momentum and traction to reach your goals. The feedback from this quiz has been so great, so be sure to take it at www.rickmulready.com/quiz.  

Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

www.rickmulready.com/quiz

www.rickmulready.com/group

Full show notes are available at www.rickmulready.com/448 

Dec 2, 2020

Today’s episode is going to be a “best of” replay of one of the most highly downloaded episodes in 2020.  

My guest on this episode is Kate Dillon.  Kate is in a very niche market.  In fact, she’s known as the “Girl Who Sells Race Car Parts” and she has an e-commerce business that at the time of this recording back in January, was projected to break 7-figures in 2020. 

In this episode we cover her journey in starting and growing her online training business in 2019, and all the lessons that she’s learned along the way. 

Kate initially created an online course for race car drivers, which she turned into a membership site in the latter part of last year. You’ll hear about the first webinars she did to promote her offering, and what happened when she got intentional with her Facebook ads marketing (and stopped just boosting posts)! 

She admits that running ads in the beginning was “freaky and scary”, but as you will hear, Kate has done an amazing job on them!  

Kate uses a ton of videos in her business and is super effective at using Facebook groups in her overall marketing strategy.  Kate knows her target audience very well, which allows her to drive all of her messaging and marketing to an audience that isn’t used to purchasing online course offerings. 

I got so much insight from what she had to say in this conversation so I am excited to bring it back in case you missed this episode the first time!  Stay tuned because I am excited to have her back on for an update in 2021!

On another note, have you taken my business blindspot quiz yet? We all have blindspots in our business and this quiz will help you identify what your main blind spots are and give you strategies for how to overcome them.  The feedback from this quiz has been awesome, so be sure to check it out at rickmulready.com/quiz.

 

On the Show Today You’ll Learn:

  • How Kate got into the race car business after getting her degree in interior decorating 
  • What really opened her eyes to the amazing opportunities available in the online space
  • The lessons Kate took from a previous “failure” and the ultimate dream she has for her online business
  • What the process of launching her first course looked like, and why she says that creating it was the “easy part”
  • The way she pivoted to offering a membership program, what her first webinar experience was like, and the way she upped her Facebook ads game for the second one
  • All the stats from her webinar, including ad spend, cost per lead and her insane conversion rate
  • What to consider when determining what audiences to target and messages to use with them
  • The challenges Kate faced in her marketing to her own niche
  • How Kate is continuing to build her email list 

 

Links & Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

https://rickmulready.com/targetingworkshop 

https://katedillon.com/ 

https://katedillon.com/courses/ 

https://www.winningmotorsportsmarketing.com/courses/winning-motorsports-marketing 

https://www.instagram.com/katedillon/ 

https://www.facebook.com/katedilloninc/ 

https://twitter.com/KateJDillon 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7gEDo8v9DcSH-9X6JfWRkQ 

https://crateinsider.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/crateinsider/ 

https://www.facebook.com/Crateinsider/ 

https://twitter.com/CrateInsider 

https://socialcurator.com/ 

https://easywebinar.com/

Full show notes available at www.rickmulready.com/447

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